Tiger, Nelly, Rory — and 22 more: Golf’s 25 most influential people in 2024

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – News and notes from Friday’s second round of the PGA Championship where Kevin Kisner owns the early lead at 8 under after shooting his second straight 67. For more coverage from Quail Hollow, see the Daily Wrap-up. KISNER KEEPS UP Kisner hasn’t strayed far from his roots. He was born and raised in Aiken, S.C., and when it came time to strike out on his own, Kisner decided the heart – and the pocketbook – was home. “I was playing the mini-tours, and I was broke,â€� he recalled. “That’s the only place I could afford to buy a house.â€� Truth be told, though, it was more than financial considerations that kept Kisner in Aiken. He feels comfortable there, and his friends are his friends regardless of what he shoots. They like to get out of cell phone range and relax, fishing and hunting and taking target practice. “I love my core group of friends at home that they don’t ask me why I made bogey on the last hole that cost me 20 grand or anything like that,â€� Kisner said. “That’s why I hang out with them.â€� And Kisner also has ties to Charlotte, which is about two hours north of Aiken. His parents grew up here and his 93-year-old grandmother still lives on her own in the Queen City. “I’ve spent every Thanksgiving and Christmas in Charlotte from childhood to marriage,â€� Kisner said. Quail Hollow figures into the family equation, too. His brother-in-law’s father is a founding member of the exclusive club that not only is hosting the PGA this week but also is slated as the venue for the 2021 Presidents Cup. So, it’s pretty cool that Kisner is leading the PGA after his second straight 67. And you can bet the guys he calls “good dudesâ€� will show up in force this weekend. Kisner really likes the golf course, and he came up to check out the changes about a month ago. The rainy, wet conditions that day left him wary. Kisner’s a shotmaker, not a bomber, after all. “I said, man, this place is going to be so long; I don’t know how they are going to compete,â€� he said. “But it’s been drying out and my tee balls are getting some roll and I’m hitting a lot less irons into the greens than I expected. If I can get a 6- or 7-iron in my hand, I like my chances around here.â€� Kisner won the DEAN & DELUCA Invitational earlier this year, grabbing the 36-hole lead, as he did Friday, and gutting out his second PGA TOUR win. This is Kisner’s 12th major championship, and his best finish is a tie for 12th at the 2015 U.S. Open. “I’ve been upset with how I’ve played in the majors so far in my career,â€� Kisner said. “I feel like I have the game to compete in majors and tons of 30th to 40th, 50th-place finishes. That’s kind of been our goal for the year. We haven’t played well in them yet this year but every year you learn more about the majors and how to approach them.

“… This is probably the easiest one I’ve had to prep for because I know the golf course so well and I’ve been up here a lot. I feel real comfortable here and I really like the golf course.â€� MCILROY FEELING COMFORTABLE Many people expected Rory McIlroy to be in the hunt at the PGA Championship, which counts for two of the Northern Irishman’s four majors and 13 total PGA TOUR wins. After all, McIlroy already has two victories at Quail Hollow. He appears finally recovered from some niggling injuries and is coming off a tie for fourth at The Open Championship and joint fifth at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, too. But the 28-year-old fired his second straight 72 on Friday – and McIlroy had to birdie the last two holes after four front-nine bogeys to get there. He’s 2 over for the tournament, which is a distant 10 strokes behind Kisner, but he still signed his scorecard with positive vibes. “As everyone says, there’s no winning post there,â€� McIlroy said. “There’s still 36 holes to go and a lot of golf to be played. As I said, I still feel I’m right there in the tournament.â€� McIlroy owns the course record of 61 at Quail Hollow. He shot that in the third round of his 2015 victory. McIlroy also closed with a 62 in 2010 when he made the cut on the number and went on to win his first PGA TOUR event. “I guess a low round used to be a 61 or a 62,â€� McIlroy said. “A low round now is a 66 or a 67. You’re playing your ass off to get that. “I’d say, if I shoot two 67s over the weekend, I’m going to have a really good chance.â€�

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PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO If you ever wanted a litmus test for course history, you got one. Even though Daniel Berger is an accomplished and dynamic two-time PGA TOUR winner, he’s a first-timer at the John Deere Classic. Yet, he’s as clear-cut the most-owned in any tournament in recent memory. Chosen by 64.9 percent of gamers who set lineups, that’s 18 percent greater than runner up Charley Hoffman, who himself hasn’t made the trip to TPC Deere Run since missing the cut in 2013. The attention and love overlooks the fact that Berger is just 24 years of age. More powerful and poised than polished, he embodies exciting possibilities for gamers in every format every time he laces up the spikes. And while investors are no doubt hoping for a continuation of form that yielded a playoff loss in his last start at the Travelers Championship, the chip on his shoulder placed there by Jordan Spieth doesn’t hurt. Rounding out the top five, recent winners Kyle Stanley (Quicken Loans National) and Brian Harman (Wells Fargo Championship) flank JDC defending champion Ryan Moore, who’s returning from a strained tendon in his left shoulder. You need to lower your focus to sixth and 10th to see tournament heroes Zach Johnson and Steve Stricker, respectively. Them changes. Notables not shown below include Bubba Watson (12th, 12.4 percent), Nick Watney (16th, 9.0 percent), William McGirt (18th, 7.6 percent) and Robert Streb (21st, 6.3 percent). NOTE: Rob’s Rating refers to where our Fantasy Insider slotted a golfer in his Power Rankings. Golfers in the Power Rankings and outside the top 10 in most owned PGA TOUR Fantasy One & Done presented by SERVPRO Once upon a time, well, actually several times not long ago, Steve Stricker and Zach Johnson were the 1 and 1a at the John Deere Classic. Theirs was (still is?) a combination of talent and timing as the majority of one-and-done worthies prepped elsewhere for The Open Championship. That both are relative locals is forever convenient, but their success at TPC Deere Run was never guaranteed, either. It’s 2017, however, and One & Dones don’t wait for anyone. Brian Harman prevailed both here in 2014 and two months ago at the Wells Fargo Championship. He loves to go low and you’re not going to find another in the field who’s as confident with a putter in his left-handed grip. So, he represents the No. 1 slot properly. Tournament debutant Daniel Berger ranks second. As conveyed above for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO, it’s a sign of confidence from gamers, but it also can’t go overlooked that he may not value as strongly the rest of the way, or at least as obviously. Now, and finally, we arrive at ZJ in third and Stricker in fourth. It’s more impressive that the all-time earnings leader of the tournament was selected by 8.9 percent of you because he’s 50 years old. He’s owned by nearly three times as many gamers who plucked Charles Howell III at 10th. CH3 opened with a bogey-free, 8-under 63, two strokes lower than anyone else in Thursday’s morning wave. Notables outside the top 10 include Kevin Kisner (11th, 2.8 percent), Kevin Na (12th, 1.4 percent), Bubba Watson (15th, 0.8 percent), Daniel Summerhays (16th, 0.7 percent) and William McGirt (T20, 0.4 percent). Danny Lee, who slots sixth, withdrew after a first-round 74. PGA TOUR Champions One & Done presented by SERVPRO If the Constellation SENIOR PLAYERS Championship opened the season, would there be any doubt that Bernhard Langer would either threaten or even establish the record for highest ownership percentage in the history of fantasy gaming at PGATOUR.com? He’s the three-time defending champion (on different courses to boot) and the tournament ranks T2 among all events in total prize money. Instead, this is the 13th event contributing to the One & Done and the U.S. Senior Open Championship contested two weeks ago boasted the largest purse. So, Langer is way down – way down! – at sixth in ownership percentage at just 6.1. I can’t confirm it, but I wouldn’t rule out that gamers’ commitment at Caves Valley Golf Club equals all of the remaining gamers who have submitted a pick every week and have yet to burn Langer. In my preseason primer in January, I angled at using him this week. While tempted to deviate at Salem Country Club (where he placed T18), he paid off my patience in the opening round of the SENIOR PLAYERS. Langer carded a bogey-free, 7-under 65. Larry Mize leads after a nine-birdie 64, but he was not chosen by any gamer this week. Notables outside the top 10 include Kevin Sutherland (12th, 2.5 percent), local favorite Fred Funk (14th, 2.0 percent), Joe Durant (T16, 1.5 percent) and Colin Montgomerie (T16, 1.5 percent). Preston McClellan, the digital communications manager for the PGA TOUR and member of the Experts panel for PGA TOUR Champions One & Done presented by SERVPRO was the only gamer who selected Wes Short, Jr.

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Yuka Saso will enter the weekend at the U.S. Women’s Open with a 1-shot lead. Fellow teen Megha Ganne, an amateur, is 2 back of Saso. Defending champion A Lim Kim and Michelle Wie West were among the notables to miss the cut.

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